Helter Skelter

The True Story of the Manson Murders

By: Vincent Bugliosi, Curt Gentry

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Length: 26 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's summary

Prosecuting attorney in the Manson trial Vincent Bugliosi held a unique insider's position in one of the most baffling and horrifying cases of the 20th century: the cold-blooded Tate-LaBianca murders carried out by Charles Manson and four of his followers. What motivated Manson in his seemingly mindless selection of victims, and what was his hold over the young women who obeyed his orders? Now available for the first time in unabridged audio, the gripping story of this famous and haunting crime is brought to life by acclaimed narrator Scott Brick.

©1974 Curt Gentry and Vincent Bugliosi, Afterword 1994 by Vincent Bugliosi (P)2011 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

“One of the best crime stories ever written.” (Chicago Sun-Times)

Good Book, but very long.

If you could sum up Helter Skelter in three words, what would they be?

sick,scary,sad

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

Not sure he told the story very well.

What does Scott Brick bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He makes real. Believable.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I found this book sad. Its always sad when people die, because of idiots.

Any additional comments?

I thought I new the whole story. But i didnt. I learned so much with this book.

Excellent

This book kept me engaged and the narrator was point on. There were a lot of facts I was completely unaware of

perfect

I have never read nothing about manson and this is the ultimate and most trustfull way of getting to know every detail about the murders the trail and to get closer to mansons intriging mind

For millennials who are interested in the Manson Murders

Coming from a millennial that was truly intrigued by the always referred to but never told about Charles Mason, I loved this book! It was precisely what I was looking for to learn about the Tate/LaBianca murders. Having no idea how the police and Bugliosi went about trying to build a case and how difficult it was to prove Manson's involvement was baffling to me. It's always assumed that it's easy to prove guilt and in some cases it is, but for Buglisoi it was not the case. He and his co author did a fantastic job of writing this book. I have recommended it to people who were alive during the case and also not yet born. Well written and made me want to become a prosecuting lawyer!

a must listen to

I've seen the movie and really enjoyed the book. it's a must listen to.
Great job

Masterpiece of prosecutorial process!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Absolutely. While long, this book goes into excruciating detail not only about the murders, but the motivations of the Manson family, and the state's efforts to build the case against Manson. Anyone who is interested in how to develop a case should listen to this book.

Which scene was your favorite?

I really liked all of the parts where the prosecutor discussed the "theory" and behind Helter Skelter, including the influence of the Beatles on Manson.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I listened to this book on a road trip so I was able to finish most of it through the drive. It could be difficult to keep up if you were to listen to it off and on as the book is very detailed and forgetting one detail could make it difficult to understand down the road.

Any additional comments?

This book is not for the faint of heart. The murders are gruesome and the author spares no detail. It was stunning to listen to how the Manson family was so deranged as to commit these horrific crimes with no remorse.

A Facinating Book.

Would you listen to Helter Skelter again? Why?

Yes, but not for a while due to graphic subject matter and the fact that it is over 20 hours long.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Helter Skelter?

I think the most memorable moment of this book is the courtroom banter between the prosecution, the crazy defense attorney and Manson. I couldn't stop listen and wondered what would they would say next. I have never heard of such a bizarre court case as this one.

Which scene was your favorite?

I think my favorite scene of the book is when they convicted Manson. He was shocked. He had always thought he would either get acquitted due to his crazy lawyers or his "family" would break him out of jail which they were planning on doing.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I did have an extreme reaction to this book. It was very sad to hear how the victims died. I didn't realize how many died at the hands of the Manson family. I was also very shocked to hear about one of the defense attorneys going missing and then being found dead. I had never heard about that part of the case. Another extreme reaction I had was in regards to the laziness and lack of professionalism the law enforcement officers and detectives had during this case. This case teaches police today "What Not To Do" with their evidence. Bugliosi asked the detectives to pretty much "Go out and do their job'. The slacked off on several tasks that Bugliosi asked them to do like finding the murder weapons and clothing before the new crews did. Unbelievable.

Any additional comments?

One of the reason why I listened to this audio book was because Bugliosi wrote it and I loved his other book "Outrage" which was really good. Another reason was that I wasn't born yet when the murders occurred. I had always heard bits and pieces of what had happened and wanted to know the whole story. This book must have been extremely complicated to write due to all of the names involved in the case. Several times I had to stop listening and look up the person on the internet to keep everyone names straight because their were so many involved and the family members kept exchanging names. Bugliosi did an amazing job with this in the book. Overall, the book was very fascinating and I couldn't stop listening to it. I highly recommend it.

A tale of true evil

A disturbing true story. Even thought I knew the end - once I started listening to the book I could not stop. I would recommend this book but prepare to be disturbed.
The book was original published quite a while ago. After finishing the book, I went to sleep only to wake at 3am to google "where are the Manson trial convicts now" - I had to know before I could get back to sleep.

Twisted

Desperately sad but insightful glimpse into the events surrounding the Tate and Labianco murders/trial.

very satisfied

very detailed and interesting, keeps you listening, easy to follow story line, even though number of names is quite large author reminds who is who from time to time.
R.I.P. Vincent Bugliosi(2015)